Gameboard with playing piece compartment



Sept. 22, 1964 A. R. BRAUN 3,149,343

' GAMEBOARD WITH PLAYING PIECE COMPARTMENT Filed June 5, 1961 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,149,843 GAMEBOARD WITH PLAYENG PIECE COMPARTMENTArthur R. Braun, Box 506, Cary, Ill. Filed June 5, 1961, Ser. No.114,983 4 Claims. (Cl. 273136) This invention relates to a game such aschess or checkers which is played on a board having spaces on whichpieces are moved during play, and more particularly to a portable devicehaving a board and pieces conveniently transportable as a unit, as forexample in a shirt pocket.

A primary object of the invention is to device a game such as abovedescribed in which the pieces are stored in a container which affords abase for a multi-segment game board which, when in play, has a muchlarger area for the game pattern or design than comparable prior artdevices of similar dimensions.

A more specific object of the invention is to close the container by aplurality of game board segments stacked in releasable interlockingengagement with the container, said segments being mateable inedge-to-edge abutment to define on corresponding sides thereof acomplete game board design or pattern on a total area much larger thanthat of prior art game devices which can be conveniently transported ina space as small as a conventional pocket of a mans shirt.

Another object of the invention is to keep the pieces of each color in aseparate compartment of the container.

Still another object of the invention is to afiord a normally closed,manually openable passage to each compartment so that captured piecesmay be conveniently inserted into the respective compartments and cannotaccidentally be dislodged therefrom during play.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel rank symbols onthe pieces, which symbols are substantially parallel to the plane of theboard design when in play and are bold in form so that the players mayreadily distinguish the pieces from each other.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent from a consideration of the following specification andthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of my novel game device when closed fortransportation or storage;

FIGURE 2 shows the device in partly open condition;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are sectional views on lines 3-3 and 4-4, respectively,of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the device in play;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6of FIG- URE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view on line 7-7 of FIG- URE 5.

Describing the invention in detail, a preferred embodiment thereof isshown in the drawings and comprises a generally rectangular container 10with an internal partition or wall 12 dividing the container into spacedchambers 14 each partly defined by an end wall 16 of the container. Theend wall comprises a somewhat keyshaped slot 18 defining a passage tothe related chamber 14, and the passage is closed by a segment 22 of theend wall 16 which is formed of a flexible material such as plastic,fibre, or resilient metal so that the segment 22 may be flexed to openposition, as shown in FIGURE 3 when a player wishes to insert a capturedpiece 24 into one of the chambers 14. At other times, the segment 22remains in closed position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 to preventaccidental loss of pieces 24 during play or during transportation of thegame as for example in a players pocket or luggage.

3,149,843 Patented Sept. 22, 1964 ice During transportation of the game,the top of the container is closed by a pair of substantially flat, topand bottom game board segments 26 and 28 stacked vertically, as shown inFIGURE 1, with the chambers 14 opening 5 upwardly. The segments 26 and28 have their ends formed with top and bottom guide slots 30 and 32,respectively, receiving ribs or flanges 34 on upstanding lugs 36 of theend walls 16.

The ribs 34 and the ends of segments 26 and 28 are preferably formedwith tongue and groove retaining means 38 which releasably hold thesegments against slideable movement along guide flanges 34. Theseretaining means can be released by manual pressure due to the resiliencyof the material from which the container 10 and segments 26 and 28 areformed, such as for example flexible plastic, fibre, or metal Thesegment 28 is illustrated in FIGURE 2 with onehalf of a game boarddesign or pattern facing upwardly, however it will be understood that,if desired, the half pattern on segment 28 may be facing downwardly whenthe game is out of play, as is the half pattern of the segment 26 inFIGURE 1.

When the game is in play as shown in FIGURES 5-7, the segments 26 and 28are arranged with their slots 32 and 34 receiving one of the flanges 34,so that the half patterns are in proper edge-to-edge mated relationshipalong the longitudinal vertical centerplane of the container, saidcenterplane being defined by the right half of line 6-6 in FIGURE 5,whereby the segments 26 and 28 define a complete game pattern or designin substantially one plane, preferably approximately horizontal. Underthese conditions the chambers 14 are completely closed and the onlyaccess thereto is through the slots 18 as captured pieces are insertedduring play.

The pieces 24 are provided, respectively, with pegs or dowels 40receivable within complementary openings or holes in the board 26 and 28arranged in respective spaces of the game pattern upon which the piecesmove during play. Thus the pieces are releasably interlocked with theboard to prevent accidental dislodgement therefrom.

The tops of the pieces are substantially flat and are formed with ranksymbols 44 substantially parallel to the plane of the game pattern onthe board, whereby the pieces may be more readily identifiable than inprior art arrangements in which the rank symbols have beenthreedimensional and have been formed in upright position on the tops ofthe respective pieces.

An important aspect of the invention is to provide a much greater areafor the game board pattern than in any prior art device having the samedimensional top and bottom areas when closed for transportation orstorage of the device. This objective is achieved by providing amulti-segment game board, the segments 26 and 28 of which are verticallystacked as shown in FIGURE 1 when the device is closed fortransportation or storage. Another feature of the invention whichcontributes to the successful accomplishment of the foregoing objectiveis the manner in which the game board segments are releasablyinterlocked within the guide slots not only when game is in play butalso when the device is closed for transportation or storage.

Another feature is the provision of stop lugs 46 on the end walls 16 tolimit outward movement of the segments 22, thereby preventing accidentalloss of pieces 24 through the slots 18.

What is claimed is:

1. A game comprising an open top container having interconnected bottom,end, and side walls, the side walls being substantially twice as long asthe end walls, lugs on the end Walls extending higher than the sidewalls, top and bottom flanges on each lug extending therefrom toward theother lug, a bottom game board segment covering said open top and havingslots in the ends of said segment slideably receiving, respectively, thebottom flanges of said lugs, a top game board segment covering thebottom game board, segment, said top segment having slots in itsendsslideably receiving, respectively, the top flanges of said lugs,each of said segments having half of a game pattern on one horizontalside thereof, and both of said segments being slideable laterally of thecontainer along said flanges to open the top of said container, saidbottom segment being formed and arranged to have its slots slide ablyreceive, respectively, the top flanges of said lugs and to mateedge-to-edge with the top segment substantially along the longitudinalvertical centerplane of the container so that the half patterns of saidsegments define an upwardly facing complete pattern twice as wide assaid container and overhanging both side walls.

2. A game according-to claim 1 wherein the segments and lugs compriseresilient mated tongue and groove means in said slots for releasablyholding the segments 20 .4 ing related flanges of respective lugs, saidflanges being slideably received in said slot so that the board segmentsare slideable along the flanges laterally of the container to open andclose said open top thereof, one of said segments being removable fromthe related flanges for slideable reception within its slots of theflanges which are received within the slots of the other segment so thatthe two segments may be mated in edge-to-edge relationship to overhangboth side Walls of the container and define a complete game boardsubstantially twice the width of the container.

4. A game according to claim 3, wherein the lugs within said slots andthe flanges are provided with flexible tongue and groove means forreleasably locking the board segments against said slideable movementalong said flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS344,062 Sturges June 22, 1866 1,091,333 Heidel Mar. 24, 1914 1,497,087Butler June 10, 1924 1,629,661 Gerhard May 24, 1927 1,641,104 Solod Aug.30, 1927 1,849,676 Loewenthal May 15, 1932 2,061,135 Bissiri et al Nov.17, 1936 2,095,482 Spicciato Oct. 12, 1937 2,726,030 Levin Dec. 6, 1955

1. A GAME COMPRISING AN OPEN TOP CONTAINER HAVING INTERCONNECTED BOTTOM,END, AND SIDE WALLS, THE SIDE WALLS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY TWICE AS LONG ASTHE END WALLS, LUGS ON THE END WALLS EXTENDING HIGHER THAN THE SIDEWALLS, TOP AND BOTTOM FLANGES ON EACH LUG EXTENDING THEREFROM TOWARD THEOTHER LUG, A BOTTOM GAME BOARD SEGMENT COVERING SAID OPEN TOP AND HAVINGSLOTS IN THE ENDS OF SAID SEGMENT SLIDEABLY RECEIVING, RESPECTIVELY, THEBOTTOM FLANGES OF SAID LUGS, A TOP GAME BOARD SEGMENT COVERING THEBOTTOM GAME BOARD SEGMENT, SAID TOP SEGMENT HAVING SLOTS IN ITS ENDSSLIDEABLY RECEIVING, RESPECTIVELY, THE TOP FLANGES OF SAID LUGS, EACH OFSAID SEGMENTS HAVING HALF OF A GAME PATTERN ON ONE HORIZONTAL SIDETHEREOF, AND BOTH OF SAID SEGMENTS BEING SLIDEABLE LATERALLY OF THECONTAINER ALONG SAID FLANGES TO OPEN THE TOP OF SAID CONTAINER, SAIDBOTTOM SEGMENT BEING FORMED AND ARRANGED TO HAVE ITS SLOTS SLIDEABLYRECEIVE, RESPECTIVELY, THE TOP FLANGES OF SAID LUGS AND TO MATEEDGE-TO-EDGE WITH THE TOP SEGMENT SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE LONGITUDINALVERTICAL CENTERPLANE OF THE CONTAINER SO THAT THE HALF PATTERNS OF SAIDSEGMENTS DEFINE AN UPWARDLY FACING COMPLETE PATTERN TWICE AS WIDE ASSAID CONTAINER AND OVERHANGING BOTH SIDE WALLS.